The new goal was quickly formulated: to become world champions in 2026. The national coach has significantly more time for his big World Cup mission than for the European Championship project. The basic personnel is in place.
The torturous role of spectator at the European Championship semi-finals will be very difficult not only for the German fans but also for the national players and Julian Nagelsmann after the early start of their vacation. But at least the football classic England against the Netherlands is an essential part of the program for the coaching staff around boss Nagelsmann.
After all, in eight weeks, the DFB selection’s next international matches in the Nations League will see a prestige duel with eternal rivals Holland. The top match in Group 3 on September 10 in Amsterdam, together with the home game against Hungary three days earlier in Düsseldorf, marks the start of the journey to the next big goal. Nagelsmann said this directly after the quarter-final knockout against Spain: “We want to become world champions!” He put it this way: “A golden trophy is also nice.”
The “really nasty” thing about the national coach job
Nagelsmann has really grown to love the job of national coach in the weeks of the European Championship at home. The 36-year-old is passionate about the position, which he had still considered an isolated European Championship project when he took up the post last October. “I am very happy that I have extended my contract,” he confirmed. The “really nasty thing about the job of national coach” is that he now has to wait two years until the next tournament, the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
That’s a lot of time. Time that Nagelsmann barely had before the European Championships. DFB sports director Rudi Völler is also counting on the time factor. Although he saw the renewed connection between fans and the national team as an overarching tournament success, he wants more in sporting terms.
“We want to come out on top. We want to stay in the USA until the end. That is our obligation to confirm our performance,” said Völler. “But I am totally optimistic because Julian and his coaching team managed to create a team spirit that unfortunately only got us to the quarter-finals, but thrilled the crowds.”
Nagelsmann wants to nurture the new, strong sense of community within the team. That is why he ruled out another radical change. “We have a large core of players who are 26, 27, 28 and can definitely still play in the World Cup,” said Nagelsmann. Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah, Kai Havertz, Nico Schlotterbeck, David Raum, Maximilian Mittelstädt, and possibly even a really fit Leroy Sané, belong to the 25 to 29 age group.
“We have put together a good team and only need to change a few nuances,” said Nagelsmann as he said goodbye to his home ground in Herzogenaurach. The over-30s group must be reduced in size. Germany had the oldest squad at the European Championships, and that must change, said Nagelsmann during the tournament.
The over-30s fraction must be thinned out
Toni Kroos (34) will definitely be out of the team after his retirement. Goalkeepers Manuel Neuer (38) and Oliver Baumann (34) are candidates. Thomas Müller (34) and Emre Can (30) are also candidates. Ilkay Gündogan (33), on the other hand, is still planned as captain, Antonio Rüdiger (31) as defensive leader, as is Pascal Groß (33) as an option for Kroos’ position.
“Toni cannot be replaced one-to-one. But Pascal can do it in a very similar style,” said Nagelsmann. Then there is fan favorite Niclas Füllkrug (31) from the older generation of players. “Of course it is important to have guys like him. But the most important thing has to be footballing quality,” said former team boss Völler.
In addition to the sure World Cup trump cards Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz (both 21), Nagelsmann has other talents in his sights or has even already named them. Bayern’s Aleksandar Pavlovic (20), who missed the European Championship due to an infection, and for the first time Stuttgart midfielder Angelo Stiller (23) will be there in September.
Brajan Gruda (20) from Mainz and Rocco Reitz (22) from Gladbach were allowed to take part in the European Championship preparations as training guests. They are promising players for the World Cup. This summer, not everything was right for them to go into the final week of the tournament with England, France and Holland instead of the strong Spanish. “You could see that we still have some work to do,” said Nagelsmann. He will tackle them after the holiday.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
